


reconsideration

by starbooms



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Drinking & Talking, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Pining, Post-War, kinda sorta you'll see what i mean, naruto is considering people he is using his brain cell to think of some things, once again i take canon and i punt it into the sun this is my rodeo now, to put matters into context to self REFLECT
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-15
Updated: 2020-05-15
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:01:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,993
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24192511
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starbooms/pseuds/starbooms
Summary: “I don’t know if anyone’s told you this, Naruto, but you don’t have to be Hokage.”Alternatively: War has left Naruto feeling hollowed. At a loss of what he really wants, and whether what he initially thought he wanted is actually what he needs. Sasuke is due to be home soon. And if anyone could ever help Naruto make sense and level with where he was coming from, it was always Sasuke.It would always, be Sasuke.
Relationships: Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto
Comments: 30
Kudos: 355





	reconsideration

I

“Welcome home.” Naruto’s grin was large, and a little devious as he held up two bottles of sake in his hands. “Brought you a present.”

Now, Naruto definitely wasn’t invited. Well, not outwardly of course. Naruto just assumed there was an unspoken agreement (that Naruto promoted more than Sasuke, but Sasuke never said  _ no  _ or killed him, so that was pretty much agreeing anyways) that Naruto could show up at his doorstep whenever. Of course, this was a privilege that Naruto would never abuse… too much! Only when necessary. Like today, when he got word from Kakashi that Sasuke was coming home today.

That required a celebration! That required drinks! And Naruto could do both. 

“I don’t remember asking you to be here.”

“You don’t have to ask,” Naruto waved the bottles up high. “Listen, I’m gonna cut our usual banter short. I brought drinks. I want to get drunk. And I want to get drunk with  _ you _ . So chidori my ass outta here or let’s move into the kitchen where I’ll also make you dinner to go with the drinks.”

Sasuke’s entire face morphed into one of blatant irritation and such a sight made Naruto’s heart squeeze.  _ Fuck _ , he really missed him. Seeing Sasuke here in the flesh was unreal and undeserved, but so so  _ so _ good all the same.

They stared at each other for minutes until Sasuke finally sighed and brushed past Naruto walking into his home. He didn’t say  _ go  _ and Naruto wasn’t currently being blasted into the air by a chidori so that meant Sasuke was relenting. Yes!  _ Excellent.  _

Naruto’s grin broke out even wider as he followed Sasuke into his home. He noted how empty it looked. No paintings on the wall. Dust collecting on the corners of old bookshelves and windows. The apartment Sasuke was now living in was huge and Naruto, at first and foolishly, thought Sasuke would spend the time making this place feel like home.

Now, he knew better. It wasn’t like Sasuke was here all the time. He was always gone. Traveling to atone… as if he’s the only one that messed up. Like the village wasn’t complicit in playing a hand in Sasuke’s path.

Naruto’s grip on the neck of the bottle tightened. 

“So,” they found themselves in the kitchen. Sasuke moved about his house like Naruto wasn’t there. Disappearing from the room as Naruto set the bottles on the table. “Go freshen up for dinner, okay!” he called after him. 

Sasuke’s only acknowledgement was a raise of his hand. 

Alone with his thoughts, Naruto began to panic. While yes, he very much wanted to surprise Sasuke with some drinks and food (thankfully, over the years since the war Iruka had double timed with teaching Naruto basic cooking so now, he could proudly say he can make a meal and a house won’t end up on fire. The little things!). He also… had some thoughts. Yes, lots of thoughts. So many thoughts he felt himself going crazy as the days went by because the more he continued to be consumed by those thoughts, the more… he wanted to be consumed. To drown. And maybe… 

He rolled up his sleeves, working his way through Sasuke’s kitchen. He pulled out skillets and knives, spatulas and other cooking supplies from their various spots. He had to thank Sakura for having the idea of stocking Sasuke’s apartment while he was away. All the new appliances were thanks to her and Naruto throwing in a little bit of money to get the place looking somewhat liveable. 

Of course, that didn’t change the fact the person who  _ could  _ be living here didn’t. 

Naruto took a deep breath, “Okay, Uzumaki. You got this. You can make some simple rice and chicken. You’ve trained for this all your entire last week! You can do this. You can make Iruka proud.” 

As he cooked, everything felt more present. He could hear the creaks of the old house. He could hear Sasuke rummaging in the bathroom. He could hear his own breathing, a little quicker than normal. Right. He had come here tonight for a reason and it wasn’t just to annoy Sasuke. Though that was always fun and always a good serotonin booster. 

No, he had a question to ask. A lot of questions, actually. Because he couldn’t really talk about this with anyone else. And Sasuke had a way of understanding and leveling with Naruto that made him feel equal and heard. 

So Sasuke would know how to help him work through his feelings. If he was up for it. If not then… well. It’s been a while since Naruto got drunk so doing that and then passing out on Sasuke’s uncomfortable and ugly couch was also a solid option.

When Sasuke came out of the bath Naruto smelled soap, and something light. A little flowery? He inhaled sharply, turning his head to find Sasuke staring at him from the doorway. 

“Good bath?” Naruto asked instead. 

“What do you want?” 

See? Sasuke could always see through him. Always. But Naruto wasn’t ready to talk, not until he had some food and maybe two drinks in him. So he played dumb, stirring the rice and adding in the other ingredients while he did. 

“For you to set the table so we can eat like respectable people.”

“We’ve never been respectable.”

Naruto scoffed, “Speak for yourself! I’ll have you know my reputation has skyrocketed since I saved the village and the world like, five times now. And I’m only twenty. I’m amazing”

Sasuke rolled his eyes (not that Naruto could see with his back turned and his attention on the cooking but he could  _ feel  _ the literal gravitational pull shift with how high Sasuke always rolled his eyes at Naruto so he knew. Always), but appeared behind Naruto to reach up and grab the plates in the pantry over the stove. 

He smelled  _ good. _ Naruto stirred the rice a little faster. 

“Idiot,” Sasuke said a beat later. “You’re an idiot.”

“Um, it’s a little too late for your comeback.”

“You’re in my apartment imposing on my personal time and avoiding my question. We’ve already stopped abiding by the rules of the game since then.” 

Good point. Solid point. An excellent observation, really. As Naruto brought the heat down to low so he could finally add the seasoning to his world famous Uzumaki Rice and Chicken Supreme he thought, once again, how he would bring up his idea. 

Not like it was a wild idea or anything. Well, okay, it might be. Considering what everyone expected and anticipated and assumed Naruto would do since the war. Wild in the sense that after so many years of running and running for the unattainable turned real, he no longer felt content or satisfied.

No, he was hungry. He craved for more. But here wasn’t… enough. 

With the meal done, Naruto moved the skillet over to the set table. Sasuke brought out two glasses, pouring the drinks. He set them down just as Naruto placed the finished meal in the center. This was routine for them, and they fell into it perfectly. Taking their seats and sorting out their meals. 

Naruto took a big pile of food, stacking it high on his plate. He clapped his hands together and said a quick prayer before digging in. Shoving the food several big bites at a time. He felt Sasuke watch him carefully, and with calculation, with every bite he took. 

_ It’s coming _ , he thought. 

But it didn’t. Sasuke ate his food instead of ripping Naruto apart and for that, Naruto was thankful. Anxious and edgy, but thankful.

The two ate in silence which was more commonplace than rare. Naruto had learned over the years that silence can be a blessing. And with Sasuke, he never felt like he had to talk too much to be seen. 

When Naruto reached for his drink, he snuck a peek at Sasuke who caught his gaze in return.

“What?” 

Naruto took a long drink of his sake and then refilled his glass for round two. “Is it good?”

“That’s what you want to ask?”

“Yes or no, Sasuke.” 

“I’m not throwing up nor running to the toilet like last time. You’ve made progress.” Sasuke raised his glass to drink but Naruto could still see that  _ damned  _ smirk on his face. Bastard. 

“That was months ago!” Naruto protested. And then he grew silent. Quiet, and receding as the words flew out of his mouth and the weight resonated in his chest. Months ago. Not weeks or days but months. Long and impatient months that Sasuke was gone and roaming, doing what he thought was best to fix things, while Naruto was in the castles of the village trying to learn and become a role that he- “Of course I’d get better… if months have passed.”

Sasuke drank some more and filled up his glass once he finished. “Still, I’m surprised. Iruka didn’t give up on teaching you basic cooking skills?”

“No,” Naruto drank again. “Thank fuck. I’m mad we didn’t start sooner. I could have been a cooking prodigy in my youth, man.”

“Doubtful.” 

“Shut up. Like  _ you _ can cook.”

“I can. It’d be stupid of me not to.” because he was gone so much. Because Sasuke was _ always  _ gone. Always traveling. Did he have people? Would Team Taka join him? Was he lonely?

Naruto kept drinking. Drinking until the bottle shrunk to the halfway point. Drinking until his cheeks tingled and his lips got looser and the world grew warm. 

Finally, Sasuke had mercy. “Answer my question.”

“Hm?”

“Naruto.” Sasuke had a way of saying Naruto’s name that made him want to punch him in the face and turn into the sun at the same time. “Don’t do that. Not to me.” 

_ Not to me.  _

No, Naruto could never use his tricks and deceptions around Sasuke. Sasuke had never seen him at only face value. Sasuke since dinner had started, no since before then, had only bided his time before boxing Naruto in to spill what was on his mind or wait until Naruto did it himself. One of the two always happened, just depended on which one gave first. 

Naruto worked his jaw. The heat from the alcohol was still drumming through his blood. Made his skin feel electric even though his words came out numb, and quiet. 

“I… I’m thinking about… leaving the village. For… a bit.” 

The world didn’t break. Nor did it shatter into a million pieces. But the solid grip around Naruto’s neck that threatens to snap it in half from uttering his confession does not relent. He held Sasuke’s gaze, attempting to read him. Would he be mad? Mad that Naruto who had spent years trying to drag him back to the place that was no longer feeling right under his feet? 

Sasuke’s gaze was unreadable, and that made Naruto panic slightly. He could always get a good read of Sasuke. Or, at the very least, he could piece together whatever clues Sasuke’s body language or eyes gave him to make sense of what was coming next. 

He saw nothing. 

“I know,” Naruto started again. His words slurred a bit, were more hastily strung together like frayed electrical wires. “I know. I should be the last person to say that. Ever. I get it. I just-”

“How long.” Sasuke cut in, sharp like a sword, “have you been thinking about this?” 

Naruto sucked in a breath. “A year. Maybe a year and a half.”

“You haven’t told anyone else.”

“No.”

There’s something in Sasuke that shifted. When Naruto could see that, there’s a breath of relief that nearly jumped its way out. Sasuke got up from the table and started to clear the dishes. He moved them to sink and then grabbed the two bottles as he made his way to the door. 

“We’re moving to the bedroom.” was all he said before he disappeared.

Naruto, despite the situation at hand, thought of all the things they wouldn’t be doing in the bedroom for about three seconds before reality caught up with him. His bones felt heavy as he got up from the table, mind buzzing and buzzing. This conversation could go so many ways, and not all of them were pretty. 

But he hadn’t been punched yet so he’d take that as a good sign. 

II

Sasuke’s room, like his apartment, was bare. No surprise there. There’s a bed tucked by the window in the corner. A desk and a dresser off to the side. Everything is in order, in place, and immaculate. What’s bold and brilliant about the seemingly haunted space was the large Uchiha fan banner Sasuke hung over his bed. A reminder of once was, what  _ is _ , and a legacy contorted by hate and blood.

Naruto can’t help but feel sadness wash over him in waves as he stared at the banner. Yes, Sasuke killed Danzo. Got his revenge. But was that enough? No, it couldn’t have been. Why haven’t they done more? Why hadn’t he  _ pushed  _ for more to be done? What sort of friend was he to know his friend and preach he could burden his suffering and then stay, satisfied, watching his friend leave time and time again from the very same village that turned from him? 

He felt sick. He was going to hurl. 

“Sit down,” Sasuke’s command is quiet and sharp. He’s watching Naruto with the same eerie, analyzing gaze he had earlier that evening. 

Naruto followed. Stumbling a bit until he reached the bed and plopped down. The world was hazy and hot. He was definitely not sober, and really that was the goal. To be drunk and have this conversation and if he said anything too out there, too wild, a little too close to  _ unraveling _ , he could blame the liquor and not face the reality of his thoughts. 

Kurama had warned him this was a stupid idea. Naruto, of course, ignored him. 

Sasuke took his place by his desk, leaning against it with his arm on his hip. Naruto swallowed, holding his gaze to Sasuke’s face and  _ not  _ to the way he wanted to snake them down his body. Man, not seeing someone for months on end really did something to your perception. Had Sasuke always been that lean yet built? Was his hair always that long? Did he always have that bang?

“You’re speaking out loud,” Sasuke frowned. Naruto jumped a bit out of his skin. Fuck, he needed to not do that. “No, the bang is new.”

“I don’t like it.”

“Too bad. It’s not your hair.”

“It covers your eye,” if you held Naruto up by kunai point he would deny ever pouting or fussing over how Sasuke chose to style his hair. “And half your handsome face.” 

Sasuke twitched at that. Whether it was the handsome comment or the covering his eye comment, Naruto couldn’t tell. He should feel more ashamed, having such loose lips, but he also couldn’t care. He was trying to distract, and go in circles, not have to talk about what they left at the dinner table immediately. Not when he’s in Sasuke’s room and his sheets don’t smell like him enough and that is truly a  _ crime _ -

“You’ve been thinking about leaving for a year and a half.” Sasuke wisely ignored Naruto’s earlier comments and went straight for it. “And you decide to tell me, of all people, your choice to defect.” his tone is flat and unbelieving, followed by a short and harsh scoff. “Is this some joke?”

In retrospect, it was kind of funny. Not in an actually hilarious way, but in the more ironic sense that Naruto had spent more than five years bringing Sasuke home only to turn around and say he might leave too. Granted, his departure wasn’t forever. He wasn’t defecting either. No it was more like a break. Even more so like a vacation! A very long vacation slash journey kind of deal… 

“Is there any more sake left?” Naruto asked. 

Sasuke snorted, “You drank it all. Remember?”

“Oh yeah.” 

“But, uh, to answer your question: No. No it’s not a joke. I’ve been thinking about this for a while, actually. After the war everything’s felt…” he searched long and hard for a word to encompass how much he felt and how little it made sense for a year now. Finally, the word stumbled out, “hollow. Like, like someone scraped this whole in my chest even deeper than what was there before. ‘Cause you know… you  _ know  _ all I’ve ever wanted was acknowledgement. To be respected by the village. I was so hungry for that, I’d do anything. And I got it. After defeating Pein I finally got to have that taste but that still felt weird.”

Even after his visit to the waterfall of truth and defeating his darker self the feeling of displacement never left. Growing and festering for days into weeks into months into years. 

Why? Why had it taken him sacrificing himself to gain a sliver of respect? 

Why was he so hellbent to have people love him who never looked his way? 

Why? When he finally had at least a few people know what his name was and the value it carried, the weight it held, and the humanity attached to it? 

The answers are hollow and weak and pitiful. But they are also clear, and resounding. The idea that even with the war over, and his dreams in place, that his dreams were never the right dreams to chase. 

“You don’t want to be Hokage anymore.” Sasuke said rather than asked. He could follow Naruto’s train of thought scarily well. 

Naruto nodded. He opened his mouth, closed it. Then opened it again a few minutes later, “It doesn’t feel right.”

When Sasuke didn’t say anything, Naruto continued. The words coming out jumbled and rushed. 

“It doesn’t feel right. Like… like what do I  _ really  _ know about being Hokage. Yeah I’ve become strong but what does all this strength mean if I can’t even bring the change about I promised to? There’s so much ugly  _ shit  _ this village has done. To me, to people like Neji, to  _ you _ . And I can’t even begin to scratch the surface on how to fix all that. I feel like… I feel like Hokage is such a big plate and when I think about all the things I have to do, and all the ways I could do it wrong because I really don’t know much about the world and how it works, I feel like-I feel the walls of this village closing in and I can’t, I can’t handle it and I-”

He doesn’t realize he’s speaking fast, or his breathing is coming out in sharp pants until Sasuke is there. Close, in his space, cupping his cheek with his hand. “Breathe,” Sasuke commanded. His voice was steady, strong.

Naruto inhaled sharply.

“Good. Keep going. Focus on me, my voice.” Sasuke kept saying those words over and over while Naruto’s heart rate hammered loudly in his ears, against his bony rib cage. After a few moments, Naruto felt more calm. Still very buzzed but not on the verge of another panic attack. 

He felt like a raw nerve, and Sasuke’s hand was still on his face even when he rasped and, “I’m okay now. Thanks.” 

God this is not how he wanted this conversation to go at all. 

Sasuke eventually relaxed his grip. He leaned back, away from Naruto’s space and Naruto had to snap down on the urge to follow him. At his full height, Sasuke stared down at him. Their gazes locked. Then Sasuke closed his eyes and exhaled slowly, “I don’t know if anyone’s told you this, but you don’t have to be Hokage.”

His words were lightning. A sharp bolt that zipped down Naruto’s spine and made him flinch-horribly. 

Sasuke, however, continued his electrocution. 

“The world doesn’t exist to be carried on your shoulders. You have a hero complex bred out of your problematic desire of wanting to be acknowledged by people who couldn’t care less for you. It’s been your greatest strength and your biggest downfall. So you realize you bit off more than you can chew? That’s life. It happens. Leaving is within your right. Whatever you do is on you, but at the very least do it for yourself and no one else.” 

Shocked did not begin to describe how Naruto felt when the sudden wave of relief crashed. It sobered him up quickly as he revered Sasuke in a new light. 

Their relationship always had ups and down, curves and thorns at every corner. But at the crux of their dynamic were two boys that understood the gaping hole of loneliness, and of perceptions, and of ideologies forced upon their skin. They knew what it was like to be placed in situations outside of their control, only to fight against it or to succumb to it. 

Naruto had expected anger, and resentment, and that’s not to say those weren’t coming. Yet the way Sasuke so clearly and without hesitation laid bare the very thing Naruto was struggling with. Could peel back his layers, like skin, until he was stripped bare with only the truth of the matter left for him to reckon with. 

Without warning, Naruto got up from the bed and crossed the space between them. He grasped Sasuke’s face and pressed their lips together.

Sasuke tensed, but only for a moment, then he eased into the gesture. Returning Naruto’s peppering kisses that sealed every thank you that he gave. 

When it caught up to Naruto that  _ he had kissed Sasuke  _ he pulled back, as if Sasuke were a live wire, and had the audacity to look embarrassed. 

“Ah, shit! I’m sorry I just-you said everything so right and I- might still be drunk? And really I was gonna kiss you before but you were calming me down and wait I shouldn’t have said that either and this isn’t what I came here for I swear it was just for advice-”

“Naruto, shut up.”

“Shutting up.” 

Sasuke showed no other sign of whether he liked the kiss or not. But again, if Naruto had to gauge the situation by his current life state, having a heartbeat must mean that his impulsiveness wouldn’t lead to violence thankfully. 

“I knew you were thinking about kissing me, anyways.” Sasuke said a beat later. 

Naruto’s blush deepened, “You’re the worst.”

Sasuke’s smirk was playful and Naruto’s lips pulled into an uncontrollable smile. This was also what Naruto craved. The ebbs and flows of their dynamic. How they could easily go back into place when one of them was potentially falling apart. Naruto still didn’t feel all put together, but Sasuke’s input had added perspective and clarity to his rocky foundations. 

He’d work on Sasuke’s words for the next few days, and then make his next moves. 

Something in his spirit felt lighter at the thought. Yeah… yeah that felt good. 

“It’s getting late,” Sasuke peeked out the window where the crescent moon was bright and hanging high in the sky. 

“Can I stay?” Naruto hurriedly asked. 

Sasuke rolled his eyes. “Don’t ask as if you were planning to leave. The futon is in the closet. Roll it out yourself.” he yawned and headed for his bed, getting underneath the covers. 

“Sir yes sir!” Naruto happily headed towards the closet for the futon. 

*

“I’m sorry I dragged you back here. I think about that so much, all the time. I’m sorry I haven’t done enough for you. For your family. I-”

“Go to sleep, Naruto.” 

III

Early morning hangovers were never ideal. 

“I’m dying. Right here. This is my grave and I am  _ dying _ .”

“Not on my floor.”

Naruto turned his head with  _ major  _ effort as he watched Sasuke place a glass of water and some medicine by his pillow. Angel, Sasuke looked like a devil and was the devil many times but right now? Angel material. 

“Feed them to me?”

“Choke on them for me?”

“Wow,” Naruto frowned, making gremlin grabbing hands for the offered rejuvenation items. “This how you treat people who make you food?”

“No. But it is how I treat people who use making food for me as an excuse to get drunk and spill their woes and then kiss me without my permission.” 

Shit… that… in hindsight does sound… a little shitty. “I’m sorry.” Naruto mumbled, eyes slumping. “I did miss ya. And I did wanna hang. I guess I’m just not good at knowing how to talk about this stuff.”

Sasuke nodded in agreement. 

“Asshole. Don’t accept that so easily.” 

“You made a good point. It would be bad training to not acknowledge that.” Naruto tried once again to get the water and medicine. With a little effort he was able to sit up, head aching but not puking (a win!), with the glass and medicine in hand. Sasuke in the meantime sat by Naruto’s bed. Watching him as he took his medicine and washed it down with some water. 

“Ugh, that tastes horrible.” Naruto stuck out his tongue and then drank some more water to drown out the taste. 

“Do you know where you want to go?” 

His question came out of left field. Naruto blinked several times before answering, “Yeah. Uh… kinda.”

Sasuke raised his eyebrows in a  _ get on with it  _ kind of way.

“God you’re so nosy.”

“I’m helping. This is what you wanted.”

“Yeah okay. Well, I remembered when I was younger looking through the library hoping to find something about my family. Like, stories about the Uzumakis. ‘Cause I was dumb and thought if I found some sort connection maybe I could go find my family. Instead I found something about this village named Uzushiogakure. That’s where the Uzumakis are from. Right now, there’s not much left because it fell under attack. Thought it still wouldn’t hurt to go there. Check it out.”

Saying his plan out loud felt weird to him. Raw in a sense, and unnerving. He was waiting for Sasuke to tell him how stupid it all sounded. Going to a lost village you read about in storybooks? For what?  _ Yearning?  _ The more he considered the idea over the past year the more it had made sense. For a long time, Naruto had been okay with building a present without any concern for the past. Then the war happened. The present no longer felt comfortable or right. He felt too much out of his skin attempting to fit into places that once seemed unattainable and never for him.

He thought back to Sasuke’s words. How whatever he chose to do it should be for himself. That, right there, resonated so hard. This would be the one thing Naruto did for himself. Not for the sake of others or for the reaction of others. But something for him. Like taking the time to water his plants or to clean his room once it got too messy. A task, a job, a journey that he could take that would benefit one person and one person only: himself.

Yeah. Okay. Yearning didn’t sound so crazy after all.

“You never seemed to care before about legacies.” Sasuke said.

Naruto shrugged, “I know. War has a funny way of putting things in perspective.”

He held his Sasuke’s gaze for a moment longer than necessary because yes, he also meant in that respect too. And he didn’t want to dance around that, or his feelings, forever. Whatever they were.

“Would you come with me?” Naruto asked in a flurry.

Sasuke seemed caught off guard. “What?”

“Come with me. To Uzushiokagure.”

“What makes you think I’d want to go?”

“Cause I’m an awesome travel buddy, obviously.”

“Try again.”

“Fuck, Sasuke! Cause I want you to come with me. Cause you’re the one person in the world I’d want to have on this journey with me by my side as I try to figure shit out!”

“Eloquent.”

“I hate you.”

Naruto frowned hard,  _ nearly  _ pouting but not quite. He knew Sasuke would most likely say no to his impulsive request. He hadn’t even considered asking Sasuke to come until now. Asking felt right, though. Felt natural and organic. Like how you couldn’t have ramen anywhere else but Ichiraku’s.

“I’ll consider it,” Sasuke’s voice came out so quietly Naruto thought he misheard at first. Sasuke turned his gaze towards the window, like he was searching for something.

Naruto’s heart squeezed so  _ painfully.  _ “Yeah?”

“Don’t get your hopes up, though. I still don’t see the benefit of going with you. This is something you should really do yourself.”

Naruto’s shoulders slumped as he curled back into the futon. His toes wiggled dejectedly as his brain became resolute with the idea that Sasuke was definitely not going to go with him. Which was totally fine. He’d cry about it later in the privacy of his bathroom and not in Sasuke’s room in his nice futon because that’s uncalled for.

“I know, I know. It was just an idea…” he grumbled, turning his body to face away from Sasuke with the covers pulled tightly over. His head still pounded, and he really should sleep off this hangover before starting his day. Thankfully he had a day off from the Hokage’s office so he could take it a little easier. “I’m gonna sleep off this headache. Thanks for the medicine.”

He shut his eyes to sleep, still feeling Sasuke’s presence in the room. A few minutes passed. Naruto felt himself sinking into the mattress as sleep came to take him, when Sasuke’s hand came and found itself in his hair. Carding through softly, strand by strand.

“To this day you’re utterly unpredictable,” Sasuke muttered, and then he left. Leaving Naruto to wallow in the horrendous blush that consumed him from head to toe.

Maybe, he could hope. 

  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> this idea and notion of naruto wanting to leave the village and discover the world, more of himself, more of his past and lineage and just, do more before becoming hokage (or even becoming hokage at all) has been in my mind for years now. i wanted to flesh out a part of what i've been considering when it comes to naruto's character. this also was NOT how i anticipated this story going i had a completely different take but i'm pleased with how the words and the characters came out regardless. there may be a part two ! 
> 
> would love to hear your thoughts . you can find me on twitter @passionbootys or on tumblr @passionbooties for more chaotic goodness ! thanks for coming to my ted talk :)


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